Wire mesh working apparatus

ABSTRACT

A reenforcing wire mesh placement apparatus is provided having a rotating spindle for placing a roll of tightly wound wire mesh for reenforcing concrete, or the like, and haVing a decontouring drum rotatably connected for unravelling the wire in a manner to decontour and flatten the rolled wire. A frame is provided which has lifting means for lifting the apparatus for the placement of wire mesh at various levels of a multi-levelled building during construction. A guard is also provided for flattening uneven spots in the wire mesh during the decontouring operation and the frame has several operable positions for working in different positions or for movement between locations. The frame can also be provided with wheels and can be power-actuated and may be connected to the work table for cutting and bending the wire mesh as desired. A power operated enlarged drum may also be added for holding the decontoured wire until ready for use or for rewinding the decontoured wire into an enlarged roll for ease in working therewith.

United States Patent Spencer [451 Sept. 5, 1972 [54] WIRE MESH WORKING APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Owen C. Spencer, 138 West Story, P.O. Box 384, Winter Garden, Fla. 32787 22 Filed: April 6,1970

21 Appl.No.: 25,970

[52] US. Cl ..140/107, 72/169 [51] Int. Cl. ..BZlf 33/00 [58] Field of Search ..140/107, 108; 72/141, 148,

Primary ExaminerLowell A. Larson Att0rneyRonald A. Sandler [57] ABSTRACT A reenforcing wire mesh placement apparatus is provided having a rotating spindle for placing a roll of tightly wound wire mesh for reenforcing concrete, or the like, and haVing a decontouring drum rotatably connected for unravelling the wire in a manner to decontour and flatten the rolled wire. A frame is provided which has lifting means for lifting the apparatus for the placement of wire mesh at various levels of a multi-levelled building during construction. A guard is also provided for flattening uneven spots in the wire mesh during the decontouring operation and the frame has several operable positions for working in different positions or for movement between locations. The frame can also be provided with wheels and can be power-actuated and may be connected to the work table for cutting and bending the wire mesh as desired. A power operated enlarged drum may also be added for holding the decontoured wire until ready for use or for rewinding the decontoured wire into an enlarged roll for ease in working therewith.

17 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSiP 51912 SHEET 3 BF 6 FIG5 I;

OWEN C. SPENCER PATENTEDSEP 51912 SHEET 6 [IF 6 FIG. l9

OWEN C. SPENCER iii/nay! FIG. I?

WIRE MESH WORKING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION reenforcing wire mesh on buildings was for several iron workers to take a roll of tightly wound reenforcing wire mesh to a desired location, and to unroll the wire by hand, bending and working with the wire to get it to lay flat over the surface area. Because of the thickness of the wire it was difficult to handle and required several workers for each roll and required bending at various spots to get the wire to lay flat and to cut it to the appropriate length. This is to say, when the wire mesh was unrolled and cut it would tend to roll up or curl after having been tightly wound in a roll. The wire is of course tightly wound for transportation from the mill to distributor and to the work-site. The rolled wire mesh will also typically have rough edges with cuts along the edges to mark the various length of wire mesh being unrolled. This interferes with the handling of the wire by hand, and on each floor level in a multi-storied building the wire must be unrolled in the manner described and haphazardly bent and worked to make it lay sufficiently flat for pouring the concrete. This wire mesh is then laid in parallel rows over the floor to be poured and held off the bottom by the placement of blocks, such as bricks, so that the wire mesh will be located in the general center portion of the poured floor. The biggest disadvantage in this prior art way of laying wire mesh is that it takes a substantial amount of skilled labor to place the reenforcing mesh and is troublesome and tends to leave the reenforcing mesh of various warps and unflattened spots throughout the poured concrete surface. It also provides safety hazards in handling and bending such heavy wire mesh by hand. To overcome these many prior art difficulties in the laying of concrete highways, several machines have been suggested for attaching to road building machinery for unrolling the reenforcing wire mesh and providing ways for cutting it at various lengths. These machines however were specifically adapted for use with concrete highways and do not provide assistance for the laying of wire mesh in other types of surface work such as reenforcing floor surfaces in multi-storied buildings and generally do not provide means for lifting to the various floor levels. Similarly, prior devices do not provide means for working with the wire mesh such as bending and cutting to various shapes for specialized reenforcement jobs, nor for maintaining wire mesh in a decontoured state for placement and do not provide power means for unrolling and decontouring stiff wire mesh.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to concrete reenforcing wire mesh placement devices and especially such a device for laying reenforced concrete wire mesh on multi-storied building surfaces and for working with the wire mesh for use in specialized jobs. The apparatus has a frame sitting on a base having a spindle rotatably connected to it in a manner that a roll of wire mesh may be placed on the spindle for unraveling the wire mesh. The frame also has a decontouring drum rotatably connected to the frame so that the wire mesh may be unrolled around the decontouring drum in a manner to remove the contour from the wire mesh being removed. Lifting attachments are connected to the frame for lifting the frame to various floor levels during the pouring of the floor surfaces. The present apparatus may also be provided with a guard for flattening out uneven spots in the wire mesh as it is being decontoured with a guide and cutter for guiding and cutting the wire being decontoured to the appropriate lengths and may have a frame adapted to be folded or repositioned so that the decontouring drum has a second operable position relative to the spindle. The frame base may also be provided with wheels and a power source may be utilized to drive the decontouring drum, or the like, for assistance in straightening very stiff wire mesh. Bending means may also be provided for shaping the wire mesh and a work table can be attached having cutting and bending devices for working with the wire mesh for specialized reenforcement jobs.

The present invention also advantageously provides an enlarged decontoured drum for rolling the decontoured wire mesh for placement when needed so that only the decontoured roll of wire mesh, either on or off the decontoured drum needs to be positioned for placing the wire mesh on a flat surface as desired. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use in the building of large and multistoried structures having great flexibility for working with reenforcing wire mesh and metal with a minimum of labor while providing improved results over the generally accepted method and making the handling of wire mesh a safer operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a study of the written description and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a left-side view of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, with parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the left side of the apparatus with parts broken away and shown in sections;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 with parts broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the apparatus similar to FIG. 2 showing the invention in a second operable position;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic end view of the apparatus wherein said apparatus is attached to a lifting elevator;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 9 in combination with a work table;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view illustrating one form of a cutter taken on a line 12-12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a section taken on a line 13-13 of FIG. 11 illustrating one form of a bender;

FIG. 14 is a detailed section taken on the line 14-14 of FIG.

FIG. is a detailed section taken on the line 15-15 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 2 in combination with a holding drum;

FIG. 17 is a section taken on the line 17-17 of FIG. 16 with parts broken away and shown in sections;

FIG. 18 is a section taken on the line 18-18 of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a view taken on the line 19-19 of FIG. 16.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated having a frame 10, a base 11, which frame and base may be made of welded angle steel, or the like. The frame has a reel or spindle 12 rotatably attached thereto by shafts 13 to members 14 which are fixedly attached to frame 10 in a manner to be easily removed for placing a roll of concrete reenforced wire mesh onto reel 12. Drum 15 rotates on a shaft 16 connected to frame 10. Drum 15 is referred to as the decontouring drum and has a shaft 17 riding parallel and very close to the surface of drum 15 for straightening or flattening the wire mesh passing between shaft 17 and drum 15. Shaft 17 is held by frame members 18 which are in turn connected to frame 10. Frame 10 is also provided with lifting attachment 20 for ease in attachment to a crane, or the like for lifting above the ground level, such as when placing wire mesh in a multi-storied building. Frame 10 also has frame guide members 21 rigidly attached to g the frame which frame member 21 can provide guide means for the wire mesh being decontoured by the present invention and also can provide an attachment for a cutter for cutting the wire mesh to desired lengths.

Thus, a roll or wire mesh placed on a spindle 12 would have the end portion pass between shaft 17 and drum 15 and around a portion of drum 15 and out along a guide connected to frame member 21. The wire so placed on the spindle 12 passes around drum 15 in a direction opposite to its contour for decontouring the wire which has been in a tight roll. Shaft 17 flattens the wire, straightens out warps and dents in the wire. Frame 10 also has hinges 22 for bending the frame at 23 until frame member 21 connects with the base, thus positioning the decontouring drum 15 in a different position relative to spindle 12. Base 11 is shown having wheels 24 rotatably connected thereto for ease in moving the present apparatus from place to place on a flat surface. These wheels are easily added or removed as desired and may or may not be needed depending upon the particular job being performed.

It will of course be clear that this is the simplest form of the present invention and that many variations in this particular embodiment are anticipated such as, for instance, the use of ball-bearings, or the like, for ease of rotation of the spindle and the drum, since the stiffness of the wire requires a sufficient amount of force as to make it desirable to reduce the friction of rotation as much as possible.

Referring now to FIG. 2, frame 10 can be seen from the side, as can base 11 and spindle 12 having a roll or wire mesh illustrated as thereon and rotating on a shaft 13 hooked to frame 10 at 14 and having a bearing 31 therein. Wheels 24 and drum 15 can be seen, as can one frame member 18 having shaft 17 connected thereto. The roll of wire mesh 30 is being removed at 32 around drum 15 along end stop 33. As illustrated in dashed lines in this view, drum 15 riding on its shaft 16 is adapted to be adjustably moved along frame members 21 to vary the position of the drum and to adjust the decontouring desired for the particular operation. Similarly, frame member 18 with shaft 17 can be moved to 34, as illustrated by dashed lines upon the adjustment of the drum 15 to this new position. Hinges 22 hinging the frame at 23 are also shown in this view as is a locking member 35 which may be a latch pin turning on a pivot 36 for latching frame 10 in this upright position. Latch pin 35 may be released for folding the frame 10 on the hinge 22 to a second position as will be described in more detail in connection with FIG. 7.

FIG. 3 illustrates the portion of the top view and wheels 24 connected to base 11 can be seen along with frame 10 and roll of wire 30 and drum 15 rotatably connected to frame 10 by shaft 16. Frame member 21 is shown having a notch 37 which is for locating frame member 18 along with shaft 17 in a second position on frame member 21 when the drum 15 is moved to the end of guide members 21.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2 with parts broken away and having a base 11 with wheels 24 connected thereto with frame 10 connected to the base 11 and being hinged at 23. A portion of the spindle l2 rotating on the shaft 13 and member 14 is also illustrated along with a portion of drum 15 riding on shaft 16 and also shaft 17 connected to member 18.

FIG. 5 illustrates one method of removably attaching the supporting wheels 24 and provides a frame member 40 which could also act as a bushing connected to base 1 1 and having a bolt 41 passing therethrough and through the wheel 24 and fastened thereto by a nut 42, and having appropriate washers 43.

FIG. 6 illustrates a means of locking a slidable bearing block 44 retaining the opposite ends of the shaft 16 in a predetermined position along the horizontally displaced guide members 21 and can be seen having bushings or bearings 45 and a lock bolt 46 for locking the bearing block 44 in place along frame member 21.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a side view of the present apparatus can be seen in its second position which position may be used for positioning the drum 15 in closer proximity to the ground for certain types of work conditions and also for greater ease in transportation of the device from site to site. Frame .10 has been folded on hinges 22 at 23 by having the latch member 35 pivoted on pivot 36 to loosen the frame members at the hinge 22. Frame member 21 is folded down onto the base 11 and drum 15 is illustrated by dash lines in its second position receiving wire 32 from the roll 30 of the wire mesh. Wheels 24, frame member 18 having shaft 17 thereon are also visible.

FIG. 8 illustrates one means of selectively positioning the wire mesh flattener and shaft 17 relative to the drum 15, thus the member 18 can be positioned in a slot 37 and bolted at 47, shaft 16, drum 15 and latch 35 of frame 10 being illustrated in this view.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the present invention is illustrated attached to a crane of other material elevator at a construction site by means of chains 50 and chain tightening toggles 51 so as to provide a means for having the apparatus available at different floors of the building. Chain 50 is attached to an eye-beam 52 which is in turn attached to chains 53 which in turn may be connected to a lifting crane or other lifting device for raising the present decontouring device between floor levels. Chains 50 are connected to lifting attachments 20 connected to the frame which is in turn' connected to base 1 1 and roll or wire mesh 30 is loaded on to the spindle 12 and the drum 15 can be seen riding on shaft 16 parallel to shaft 17.

It will beclear at this point that one of the morebasic embodiments of the present invention has been illustrated in connection with FIGS. 1 9 in which several different operating positions for decontouring rolled wire mesh for the use in reenforcing concrete were viewed. A roll of wire mesh 30 may be placed on the spindle 12 and rolled in an opposite direction around the drum 15 while being flattened by the shaft 17 and decontoured by rolling around drum 15, thus providing an easy means for laying the wire mesh in asubstantially flat position reducing the unsafe conditions necessitated by the tightly rolled wire mesh having to be worked with by hand to get it sufficiently decontoured. Once the wire mesh has been unrolled from the roll, it will of course have to be cut off at the desired position and placed on the area in which the concrete is to be poured whereby the wire mesh acts as reenforcement for the concrete surface. It will, of course, be clear that the wire mesh is normally made of reenforcing steel and is very stiff and difficult to work with.

Turning now to FIG. 10, a top plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in which a work table 60 having a bender 61 and a cutter 62 is illustrated connected to the decontouring portion such as base 11, frame 10, wheels 24 and a roll or wire mesh 30 installed thereon as shown in this view. The wire mesh is shown passing over the drum 15 and beneath shaft 17 and on to the work table 60. The wire mesh is pulled along the work table 60 through the wire cutter 62 until the appropriate length is reached, at which time the wire mesh is cut in the cutter 62. The wire mesh which has been decontoured at this point may then be placed on the work site or may be bent in the bender 61 as desired.

As is more clearly illustrated in FIG. 11, the table 60 has a frame 63 which may be welded together from steel angles, or the like, and has a top 64 for placing the wire mesh and working with it. The cutter 62 has a guide 65 with a pair of rollers for guiding the wire into the cutting mechanism. It can also be seen as having a blade guide 67 for guiding the cutting blade, as will be described in more detail in'connection with FIGS. 12 and 14. Bending mechanism 61 has a handle 68 pivoted on a pivot 70 and also has a bending bar stop 71 which will be described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 13 and 15.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 14, the cutter 61 can more clearly be seen as having a cutting blade 72 and a handle 69 connected thereto for riding in guide 67 for cutting the wire mesh 32. Wire 32 passes through the pair of rollers 66 connected to the guide frame 65 and is stopped at the appropriate point at which time the blade 72 held'by the handle 69 is pulled down to cut the wire. The cutter also has a shear block 73 to improve the cutting. action and a cutting base 74 attached to a channel 75 and the blade pivots on a pivot 76. The bender is more clearly illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 15 having a bending bar 68 connected to asteel plate 77 and pivoting on a shaft 78 which in turn is attached to the frame 63 at the table60. The wire'mesh 32is pulled along the table and under the bending bar stop 71 to its desired position for making the bend, at whichtime thehandle 68 lifts the bending member 77 up from laying on the top 64 of the table 60 into a vertical position bending the wire mesh around the bending bar 71. The bending bar stop 71 is shown in a second position by dashed lines in FIG. 15. It will of course be clear that other types of benders and cutters may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention since the particular cutter and bender shown are only for illustrative purposes.

Turning now to FIGS. 16 19, another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in which a separate drum or reel is utilized with the decontouring drum for winding the decontoured wire mesh on and holding until such time as the wire mesh is neededfor use. This embodiment also illustrates the use of a power source for assistance in the decontouring. as will be described. Frame 10 havinga base 11, wheels 24, guide channels 21, drum 15 and spindle 12'with a roll of wire mesh 30 thereon, and frame member 18, hinge 22, latch 35 are similar to those already described in connection with FIGS. 1 9. The wire mesh 32may be seen'decontoured across'drum 15 and being wrapped onto an enlarged storagedrum 80 which is made of two semi-cylinders 81 with a space 82 between them adapted to be adjustedas'to the distance between the two semi-cylinders 81. Drum80 rides on an axis 83 and is rotatable in'a bearing 84 connected to'a frame 85, which frame 85"has a base 86, and wheels 87'for moving the frame and drum to a desired location. The hemi-cylinders can be moved along shafts 88 and locked with pins- 90 on two hollow cylinders 91 connected to hemi-cylinders 81 such as by welding illustrated at 92. Bars 88 are fixedly connected to the-shaft 83. A motor 93 may be electric or hydraulic, or any other type desired, and can be utilized to drive drum 80 for ease in decontouring the wire mesh 32. This motor is mounted on a base 94 connected to frame 85 by anattachment 95; The motor drives apairof bevel gears 96, one connected to the shaft 97of the motor and the. other fixedly attached to the axle 83 riding in'bearings 84 to drive the drum 80 in a rotational direction.

As can be seen, especially in FIGS. 18 and'19, a latch 100 rotates on a pivot 101' and is locked in place by lock pin 102. This inturn'removably locks bearing-103 in the frame 85 and positions the shaft 83 by means of the flanges 84. The shaft 83 of course has a journal por-- tion 104 riding in the bearing 103. Thus, it can be seen that the wire mesh roll 30 having the wire mesh 32 being decontoured over the drum 15 is wrapped upon.

the drum 80 in the same decontouring direction as drum 15 but greatly enlarged to preventthe wire forming a strong'contour by being tightly wound. Once the wire is re-wrapped upon the larger drum 80, this drum can be-reduced in size because of its having movable inner cylinders and the rerolled and decontoured wire mesh removed for placement as desired, or the wire may be stored on drum 80 until needed, in which event the drum 80 and its frame can be positioned for use by removing directly from the drum onto the surface being poured. This embodiment also provides additional advantages in that it is motor driven so that the stiff wire mesh can be easily handled in a safe manner. It will of course be clear that the motor drive could also be placed on the frame 10 such as to drive the drum to make decontouring the wire easier when the apparatus is being used without a motor driven drum 80. It is also anticipated that the wheels 24 could be motor driven such as by small electric motors for ease in moving the apparatus from place to place but it is not anticipated that this would normally be necessary since in the usual operation, the present device once placed would have to be moved only short distances except for lifting to various levels for placement of the wire mesh on each floor as it is being poured.

Accordingly, this invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed herein since these are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

I claim:

1. A reinforcing wire mesh placement apparatus comprising in combination:

a. frame means having a base adapted for supporting said frame on a surface;

b. spindle means rotatably connected to said frame means and adapted for placing a roll of wire mesh thereon;

c. decontour means rotatably connected to said frame adapted to decontour said wire mesh upon removing wire mesh from said roll; and lifting attachment means connected to said frame for attachment to a lifting means for lifting said apparatus above ground level whereby wire mesh can be unrolled from a roll at different floor levels and decontoured for placement on a flat surface; said frame means having a first operable position and a second operable position, said second operable position having said frame means folded for placing said decontour means in a second position relative to said spindle means.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means has cutting means attached thereto for cutting predetermined lengths of wire mesh from a roll of wire mesh on said spindle.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means has a guard means attached thereto in spaced relationship to said decontour means and adapted for flattening our uneven spots in said wire mesh being decontoured.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means base has wheels rotatably attached thereto for moving said apparatus when supporting on its base.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 but including means for applying a rotational force to said decontour means.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which at least one said wheel is power actuated.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means has a guide means for guiding the wire mesh being decontoured.

8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means includes bending means for bending decontoured wire mesh to desired shapes.

9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said decontour means is a drum rotatably mounted to said frame means by means of bearings.

10. A reinforcing wire mesh decontouring apparatus comprising in combination:

a. frame means having a base;

b. spindle means rotatably mounted on said frame means and adapted to hold a roll of wire mesh;

0. decontour drum means rotatably mounted to said frame means and adapted to decontour wire mesh being unrolled from said roll of wire mesh by removing wire mesh from said roll over said drum in a manner to bend said wire mesh opposite from its bend on said spindle; and

d. decontoured rolling drum means attached to said frame means and having a maximum outer diameter substantially greater than the maximum outer diameter of said roll of wire mesh.

11. The apparatus in accordance with claim 10 in which said decontoured drum includes two semicylinder shaped portions adapted to be moved relative to each other for removing a decontoured roll of wire mesh therefrom.

12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11 in which said decontoured drum means is removably attached to said frame means.

13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 12 in which said decontoured drum means has lifting attachment means connected thereto for attachment to a lifting means for lifting said decontoured drum means whereby decontoured wire mesh can be placed as desired.

14. A reinforcing wire mesh placement apparatus comprising in combination a. frame means having a base adapted for supporting said frame on a surface,

b. spindle means rotatably connected to said frame means and adapted for placing a roll of wire mesh thereon, and

c. decontour means connected to said frame and adapted to decontour said wire mesh upon removing wire mesh from said roll, said decontour means including a drum rotatably mounted on said frame means, said decontour means having a plurality of operable positions with respect to said spindle means for varying the decontouring of the wire mesh, said drum being movable with respect to said frame means between a first one of the opera ble positions and a second one of the operable positions.

15. A reinforcing wire mesh placement apparatus comprising in combination a. frame means having a base adapted for supporting said frame on a surface, said frame means being shiftable between a first configuration and a second configuration,

b. spindle means rotatably connected to said frame means and adapted for placing a roll of wire mesh thereon, and

c. decontour means connected to said frame and adapted to decontour said wire mesh upon removing wire mesh from said roll, said decontour means having a plurality of operable positions with respect to said spindle means for varying the decontouring of the wire mesh, said decontour means being disposed in one of the operable positions thereof when said frame means is disposed in said first configuration and said decontour means being disposed in another operable position thereof when said frame means is disposed in the second configuration thereof.

means and adapted for placing a roll of wire mesh thereon, and

. decontour means connected to said frame and ble positions thereof when said frame means is in the first configuration thereof, and whereby the first and second conditions of said decontour 16. A reinforcing wire mesh placement apparatus 10 comprising in combination a. frame means having a base adapted for supporting said frame on a surface, said frame means being shiftable between a first configuration and a second configuration,

b. spindle means rotatably connected to said frame means respectively define third and fourth operable positions thereof when said frame means is in the second configuration thereof.

Col.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FIETCHER,J'R. Attesting Officer UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 CERTIFICATE ()F CORRECTION Patent 3,688,810 Dated December 1, 1972 lnvent fl OWEN Cn SPENCER It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Abstract, line 4 "having" should read --having-'-; Col. 1, line 26", "length" should read --lengths--;' Col. 3, lines 24-25, "reinforced" should read--reinforcing--;

line 38, "frame member" should read--frame guide members--; V line 43, "or" should read --of--; Col. 4, line 2, "or" should read --of-;

line 3, ""a" should read --the--; lines 7-8, delete "at 32"; Col. 5, line 2, "of" should read --or--;

line 12,. "or" should read --of line 54, after "rollers" insert --66--; line 63, "61" should read ---62--; C01. 6, line 5, immediately after "bender" insert --6l-'--; line 56, "inturn" should read --in turn--; line 58, immediately after "flanges" insert of the bearing---;'- Col. 7, Cl. 1., line 35 delete "and"; 1

' lines 36 through 39 delete lines in their entirety; line 40 delete "decontoured' for placement on a flat surface)"; Col. 7, Cl. 3, l. 54 "our" should read --out--;

--28. set forth in claim 1, and further includes lifting attachment means connected to said frame for attachment to a whereby wire mesh can be unrolled from a roll at different floor levels and decontoured for placement on a flat surface.

6, l. 63 "4" should read --l---; 10 immediately after claim 16 insert the followtngclaim The reenforcing wire mesh placement apparatus lifting means for lifting said apparatus above ground level,

Signed and sealed this 15th day of May 1973.

ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Commissioner of Patents 

1. A reinforcing wire mesh placement apparatus comprising in combination: a. frame means having a base adapted for supporting said frame on a surface; b. spindle means rotatably connected to said frame means and adapted for placing a roll of wire mesh thereon; c. decontour means rotatably connected to said frame adapted to decontour said wire mesh upon removing wire mesh from said roll; and d. lifting attachment means connected to said frame for attachment to a lifting means for lifting said apparatus above ground level whereby wire mesh can be unrolled from a roll at different floor levels and decontoured for placement on a flat surface; said frame means having a first operable position and a second operable position, said second operable position having said frame means folded for placing said decontour means in a second position relative to said spindle means.
 2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means has cutting means attached thereto for cutting predetermined lengthS of wire mesh from a roll of wire mesh on said spindle.
 3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means has a guard means attached thereto in spaced relationship to said decontour means and adapted for flattening our uneven spots in said wire mesh being decontoured.
 4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means base has wheels rotatably attached thereto for moving said apparatus when supporting on its base.
 5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 but including means for applying a rotational force to said decontour means.
 6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which at least one said wheel is power actuated.
 7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means has a guide means for guiding the wire mesh being decontoured.
 8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said frame means includes bending means for bending decontoured wire mesh to desired shapes.
 9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said decontour means is a drum rotatably mounted to said frame means by means of bearings.
 10. A reinforcing wire mesh decontouring apparatus comprising in combination: a. frame means having a base; b. spindle means rotatably mounted on said frame means and adapted to hold a roll of wire mesh; c. decontour drum means rotatably mounted to said frame means and adapted to decontour wire mesh being unrolled from said roll of wire mesh by removing wire mesh from said roll over said drum in a manner to bend said wire mesh opposite from its bend on said spindle; and d. decontoured rolling drum means attached to said frame means and having a maximum outer diameter substantially greater than the maximum outer diameter of said roll of wire mesh.
 11. The apparatus in accordance with claim 10 in which said decontoured drum includes two semi-cylinder shaped portions adapted to be moved relative to each other for removing a decontoured roll of wire mesh therefrom.
 12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11 in which said decontoured drum means is removably attached to said frame means.
 13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 12 in which said decontoured drum means has lifting attachment means connected thereto for attachment to a lifting means for lifting said decontoured drum means whereby decontoured wire mesh can be placed as desired.
 14. A reinforcing wire mesh placement apparatus comprising in combination a. frame means having a base adapted for supporting said frame on a surface, b. spindle means rotatably connected to said frame means and adapted for placing a roll of wire mesh thereon, and c. decontour means connected to said frame and adapted to decontour said wire mesh upon removing wire mesh from said roll, said decontour means including a drum rotatably mounted on said frame means, said decontour means having a plurality of operable positions with respect to said spindle means for varying the decontouring of the wire mesh, said drum being movable with respect to said frame means between a first one of the operable positions and a second one of the operable positions.
 15. A reinforcing wire mesh placement apparatus comprising in combination a. frame means having a base adapted for supporting said frame on a surface, said frame means being shiftable between a first configuration and a second configuration, b. spindle means rotatably connected to said frame means and adapted for placing a roll of wire mesh thereon, and c. decontour means connected to said frame and adapted to decontour said wire mesh upon removing wire mesh from said roll, said decontour means having a plurality of operable positions with respect to said spindle means for varying the decontouring of the wire mesh, said decontour means being disposed in one of the operable positions thereof when said frame means is disposed in said first configuration and said decontour means being disposed in another operable position thereof when saId frame means is disposed in the second configuration thereof.
 16. A reinforcing wire mesh placement apparatus comprising in combination a. frame means having a base adapted for supporting said frame on a surface, said frame means being shiftable between a first configuration and a second configuration, b. spindle means rotatably connected to said frame means and adapted for placing a roll of wire mesh thereon, and c. decontour means connected to said frame and adapted to decontour said wire mesh upon removing wire mesh from said roll, said decontour means being movable between first and second conditions with respect to said frame means, whereby said first and second conditions of sad decontour means respectively define first and second operable positions thereof when said frame means is in the first configuration thereof, and whereby the first and second conditions of said decontour means respectively define third and fourth operable positions thereof when said frame means is in the second configuration thereof. 